Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Magazine Blog Post

Truthfully, I do not have a favorite magazine; not beceause I don't like them I just simply don't have the time to read them anymore and I've never been one for picking favorites because my interests are so varied, I will usually read whatever is in front of me. However, the majority of the magazines I read are hip hop magazines. I love music and I love hip hop because it is what I grew up on and I've always felt a connection to what this music genre expresses. The hip hop magazines I read the most are The Source, XXL, and VIBE Magazine. All three have a similar target audience: lovers of hip hop music and culture probably above the age of 16. Some of the content does not always excersise much discretion which is why I think there might be an unsaid age limit. All three of these magazines cover every aspect of hip hop from the culture (What is P.Diddy drinking?) to the women featured in the music videos. I love these magazines and the articles they feature because a lot of people take hip hop at face value: music about flashy cars, women, and money; but these magazines cover that and then some. By "and then some" I mean the hip hop that is not on the radio and new up and coming artists that are not in the spot light. A lot of times there are articles about people that listen to the music. For example, hip hop is marketed towards African-Americans mostly, although it's becoming more mainstream and "Americanized", so these magazines may feature articles about African-American culture, events, and people.
The Source : www.thesource.com
XXL: www.xxlmag.com
VIBE: www.vibe.com

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Ethics & Libel

Ethics Excersises
Scenario 1: I would ask the official about them when she gets back for two reasons: One reason being that the documents could be insignificant to what I am reporting and she may return any minute. If she returns and I am caught snooping documents that are irrelevant then I will be facing consequences without any type of benefit. A second reason I would ask her about them rather than just looking at them would be because if I were to use information found in those documents without her consent she can then slander me for being a bad reporter and then my reputation as a journalist is ruined and I may lose other journalistic opportunities.
Scenario 2: Yes, I would do it. Many journalists and reporters have performed a job like this one and it has exposed issues resulting in a positive change. It is just another way to take advantage of an opportunity that will be benefitting the people with need-to-know knowledge.
Scenario 3: It would be wise to use the quotes AND cite them as well. The fact that you are including those quotes helps to convey your point but it would be wrong to selfishly use them without any type of credit or citation from its originator, even it is from a website.
Libel Excersise
The libelous part of the draft would be the passage: "Karen Hart, 123 Hill Hall, says the professor, George O.T. Jungle, has touched her during tutoring sessions in his office and has invited her to his apartment several times." That could result in students not signing up for his class and most likely being fired from the university. There really is no way to revise that statement except by saying that there was "inappropriate conduct" and even that is worth raising eyebrows. I would not report the story until after the formal complaint is filed and dealt with.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

REVISED Soft Broadcast Lead [Alarming Event]

Today Mabel McCullough may have had a 95th birthday party for the history books. Moments after blowing out the 95 candles on her cake and sitting down to enjoy the meal, 24 firefighters rushed in. Apparently the smoke from the blown out candles set off the fire alarm.
Fire Chief Lonnie Lamb has been in this profession for 23 years and says that he's never come across a fire alarm being set off because of birthday candles.
The firefighters didn't stick around to enjoy the cake, however they did take some pictures with Ms. McCullough.

REVISED Topical Blog Post

Angela Davis spoke on Wednesday, April 21 at the Morris Dailey Auditorium on San Jose State Campus about youth activism and the state of our America today in a creative way by comparing her America 40 years ago, to the one we are experiencing today. Because things are "significantly worse" she emphasized that there will always be struggle it is just a matter of overcoming it and she inferred a decline in the sense of activism not being as active as it was in her yotuh.
It quickly turned into the highlight of my freshman year here at this school. I have always had a sleeping passion for social activism and to have her speaking in front of me a matter of yards away was a great inspiration to move forward with my passion and finally act.What was even greater, was the fact that she was so personable. She started of her talk with mentioning how "interesting" it felt to be back in San Jose since this is where she was arrested for murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy, and she said it in such a way that you could not help but laugh.
One thing that Davis is a big advocate for abolishing the prison system or improving it at least. She said that "Many people are in prison because they don't have the ability to imagine a future for themselves" and while they are in prison they do their best to make it work for them and have a positive outcome. When referring to the amount of reading that goes on in prison she joked that she would "rather have prisoners for students...they do a lot more reading". Although she was joking those two statements made offered a lot of insight because it gives the impression that maybe we are taking away too many peoples chances at a productive lifestyle by incarceration.
Her insight sparked a lot in me, which was her purpose of course. Her mission was definitely accomplished in the case of me. Being a part of this youthful generation with a lot to say, I felt like she was speaking to me when she was talking about youth activism. When speaking about education, Davis compared her college experience to the college experience of today: when she was in school she had the opportunity to "absorb [herself] in [her] studies" and that they were not worried about getting a job and paying loans; they were truly learning. Now there is such an emphasis on the need to "professoinalize" and "marketing ourselves" and I never really thought about it until she mentioned it. I know that for as long as I have been in school I have had a passion and drive for learning, and I know that the reason I came to college was for the same reason that she was in college, I would love to be able to "absorb" myself in my studies. But I don't have that same advantage with the econonmy crisis.
Her words on youth activism were the icing on the cake. She talked about Obama and how "many people assumed that this meant the realization of their dreams"; everybody worked so hard to get him into office, people were vocal about their beliefs and wants and needs, and then when he was elected President everybody left the job up to him. Davis said that "we have a tendency to look for a messiah" and in reality "it doesn't work if it is a one day event" and we should have continued with the demonstrating and being vocal. That is the only way we are going to accomplish something.
Angela Davis has had a great impact on society because she was a member of the Black Panther Party and a social and political activist highlighting the struggles of minority groups in California. She managed to spread her message world-wide as well. She has always been an inspiration to me because her values and the things that she represents are important to me. Being half Black and half white, Angela Davis fought for the struggles my parents experienced so that I could be here today. My passion for activism and to make a difference in this world is a tribute to her.
My favorite thing that she said, that will forever stick in my mind, is when she was talking about herself as a young activist. Angela Davis said "even though we didn't win the revolution we thought we were going to win we broadened the terrain". This quote spoke to me personally because yes, they didn't win a "revolution" but they made a huge impact because of the attitude they had envisioning a win. Youth activists of today and those with a voice need to have the attitude that what we want will be accomplished because something will come out of it, even if it isn't a win.

Test Yourself: Excersise#1

a)Earlier this evening a man was shot and killed by police officers downtown. The man had a gun and wouldn't put it down, so the officer on the scene shot and killed him. This is the second incident like this in two weeks. [REPORTERS NAME] is standing by at the scene.

b)Last night a man severely attacked his wife with a knife after an argument.

c)The Food Sciences Laboratory at Cooper State University finally released the results from their yearlong study on the effects of beets. The study indicated that an increased consumption of the vegetable can reduce foot odor by more than 50-percent.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

REVISED Find That Feature Lead

1.)"It was springtime, when ducks usually are headed north. But suddenly Saturday, the ducks ran amok. In two separate incidents, an intrepid California Highway Patrol officer came to the rescue of ducks attempting to waddle across freeways in the South Bay, in defiance of the laws of nature and the California Vehicle Code."
-Scene-setter lead. http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_14905294?source=rss&nclick_check=1

2.)"PEABODY, Mass. – A Massachusetts woman who was born without arms or kneecaps is preparing to test for her black belt in taekwondo. Sheila Radziewicz was scheduled to take her test next month at Bruce McCorry's Martial Arts in Peabody. The 32-year-old brown belt, who was born with thrombocytopenia-absent radius, or TAR syndrome, told The Salem News she's been training in martial arts for three years."
-startling statement lead

REVISED Focus Story

Pete Stenhoff, a senior at Chula Vista High School in Redmond, California, did not get the chance to live up to his full athletic potential due to an injury that resulted in him being confined to a wheel chair. His senior year of high school, Stenhoff rammed his head into the ball carrier's chest during a football game which led to a cracked vertebrate.
At the time of Stenhoff's accident, he weighed 210 pounds; the aftermath of his injury has left him at 172 pounds. Unfortunately, he did not have the opportunity to graduate with his class and is working towards his diploma by taking correspondence courses.
Stenhoff is not bitter though."I knew the risks involved when I decided to play football," he says, and adds, "I wish I would have known just how bad it could be."
It is reported that there are 20,000 injuries in high school football each year-12 percent of them permanently disable those involved. Of these injuries, 35 percent damage the neck or head like in the case of Pete Stenhoff. Most critics blame these injuries on the helmets, but whatever the reason is for this high amount of injuries it needs to be solved--and quickly.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Column-Topical Commentary

I never thought that it would come to this point: when I got my first cell phone in the seventh grade I let my foggy view of life cloud the fact that sooner rather than later, my life would depend on this piece of technology that weighs less than a pound. The worst part about it is, I am not the only one.
Slowly but surely the lives of the American people are being run by cell phones, the internet, and other forms of technology. Our lives went from depending on food and water to depending on our cell phones and Facebook. Social networking has moved from kids playing outside to kids playing video games "live"--interacting with others from around the world yet still on the couch.
As advanced as this wonderful technology has made our society has it not also dumbed us down? For example, the iPhone offers an application that will turn off the lights in your house for you; why is it that you just can't get off the couch and do it on your way out of the room?
With technology the pros and cons are all even but one thing is for sure: it is not going anywhere and if it did then we would all be doomed.